Die Fledermaus | Opera Idaho Die Fledermaus Friday, November 4, 2016 • 7:30pm Sunday, November 6, 2016 • 2:30pm The Egyptian Theatre tickets POST-PERFORMANCE EVENT Keep the party going on opening night to celebrate our first opera of the season, J. Strauss Jr.’s Die Fledermaus, at a special benefit event for Opera Idaho. For more information about each cast member, click on the next to their name. Michele Detwiler, mezzo-soprano (en travesti) Frosch, a jailer Party goers and servants at Prince Orlofsky's (chorus) Cathleen Beynun, Merri Carr, Kristen Jackson, Gayle Dawn Hill, Ellen McKinney, Angela Tracy Miller, Kelly Moylan, Bonnie Saleski, Willis Carr, David Czerepinski, Nick Dumas, Tim Judy, Casey Lebold, Fernando Menéndez, Kyle Schlagel Overview The supreme example of Viennese operetta, Johann Strauss Jr.s’ Die Fledermaus both defines and transcends that genre.

Its story centers on a magnificent masked ball, given by a Russian prince, which brings together all the main characters in various disguises. The three-act journey from boudoir to ballroom to jail provides ample opportunities for farce and humor, but also for genuine human emotion and a surprisingly realistic view of urban life. Performed in English with an all-Idaho cast, Die Fledermaus will be directed by Ben Spierman, who has recently directed Opera Idaho productions of Carmen and The Magic Flute. Despite its worldwide popularity, Die Fledermaus has only been produced once previously by Opera Idaho, that being in 2000. Act I Vienna, New Year’s Eve, 1899. Outside the Eisensteins’ apartment, the tenor Alfred serenades his old flame Rosalinde, who is now married to Gabriel von Eisenstein. Adele, Rosalinde’s chambermaid, wonders how to get the night off to attend a glamorous New Year’s Eve ball to which her sister has invited her. She tells her mistress she must visit a sick aunt, but Rosalinde refuses to let her go.

Alfred appears and declares his love to Rosalinde, who resists him until he begins to sing. Hearing someone coming, she sends Alfred away, but not before he has convinced her to let him return later. Eisenstein and his lawyer, Blind, arrive from a session in court: Eisenstein has been sentenced to eight days in jail for striking a police officer and must begin his term that very night. He furiously dismisses Blind. His friend Falke urges Eisenstein to delay going to jail until morning and instead join him at the ball, which is being given by the wealthy Prince Orlofsky. Falke tells Eisenstein to bring along his infamous pocket watch to charm the ladies. While Eisenstein changes, Falke invites Rosalinde to the ball as well, telling her that if she comes in disguise, she’ll be able to observe her husband flirting with other women. Rosalinde at first doesn’t like the idea but changes her mind when Eisenstein reappears in evening dress. She joins Adele in a bittersweet farewell as her husband heads off to “prison.” Angry at Eisenstein’s deception, she then tells Adele to go see her “aunt” and receives the ardent Alfred.

Their rendezvous is interrupted by the prison warden Frank, who has come to arrest Eisenstein. Rosalinde persuades Alfred to preserve her good name by posing as her husband, and Frank carts Alfred off to jail. Act II In the ballroom of Prince Orlofsky’s villa, the guests gossip about their host, who has a habit of paying someone to try to make him laugh—usually in vain. Orlofsky doubts that Falke’s promised evening of entertainment will brighten his spirits, but proclaims his guests should behave however they want and do anything they like. Adele arrives—to the surprise of her sister Ida, a dancer in a hit musical show, who claims she never invited her. Ida worries Adele isn’t classy enough to attend the ball, so they decide to present her as a Russian actress named Olga. Eisenstein enters, posing as a Frenchman, per Falke’s instructions. He immediately identifies Adele as his wife’s maid, but she laughs him off. Frank is also posing as a Frenchman, and he and Eisenstein become fast friends. Frank is so smitten with Ida and “Olga” that he pretends to be a theatrical producer to impress them.

Finally Rosalinde arrives, disguised as a Hungarian countess. Angry to spot her husband flirting with her maid, she sings an impassioned ode to her betrayed homeland. When a smitten Eisenstein starts flirting with her, she manages to steal his pocket watch. Midnight is approaching, and Falke entertains the guests with the story of how he earned the nickname of Dr. Fledermaus: one drunken evening, when he was dressed as a bat for a costume ball, his best friend Eisenstein played a practical joke on him that made him the laughingstock of Vienna. The crowd toasts drink, love, and brotherhood until the stroke of midnight, when the new century begins. The guests dance through the night. As the clock strikes six, Eisenstein, whose attempts to retrieve his watch from Rosalinde have failed, rushes off to jail. Act III Frosch the jailer is vexed by the late arrival of his boss, Frank, and by the nonstop singing of Alfred in cell number 12. Frank finally appears, tipsy and enraptured by memories of his magical evening posing as an impresario. Ida and Adele arrive, per Falke’s instructions.

Adele hopes Frank might further her stage aspirations. Frank sends them off and then admits Eisenstein, who says he has come to serve his sentence. He is surprised to learn his cell is already occupied by a man who claims to be him and who was found in his apartment with Rosalinde. Blind arrives, claiming he was summoned by the man in cell 12 to handle a case of false arrest. Determined to get to the bottom of the matter, Eisenstein snatches Blind’s cloak, glasses, and wig to disguise himself as the lawyer and confront the impostor. At that moment, Rosalinde rushes in. She tries to secure Alfred’s release and asks “Blind” to press divorce charges against her errant husband, but is offended when the “lawyer” seems to take Eisenstein’s side. Dropping his disguise, Eisenstein accuses his wife of promiscuity, at which point Rosalinde produces his watch. Both lament the impasse at which they’ve arrived, admitting that divorce would be a shame, since they really do love each other.

Falke arrives to gloat over the success of his plan—only to find the couple falling into each other’s arms and to discover Adele, Frank, and Frosch happily embarking on new careers. As Falke bemoans that all his efforts were in vain and his life is a failure, Orlofsky arrives with his guests in tow just in time to hear the story—and breaks into hysterical laughter. All sing a final paean to the joys of champagne. Opera Idaho Johann Strauss II - Die Fledermaus - Act 2, "Ach, meine Herr'n und Damen - Mein Herr Marquis" - YouTube Johann Strauss II - Die Fledermaus - Act 2, "Ach, meine Herr'n und Damen - Mein Herr Marquis" Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Jun 21, 2011 The origins of what eventually became known as Die Fledermaus first crossed a number of international boundaries.

In 1851 a play entitled Das Gefängnis (The Prison) by Roderick Benedix appeared in Berlin. This was a low-brow comedy of errors, brim full of mistaken identities. 21 years later the Frenchmen Louis Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, librettists for both Bizet and Offenbach, produced a spirituel vaudeville in Paris, based on The Prison, which they entitled Le réveillon (Supper on Christmas Eve). Max Steiner, co-director of the Theater an der Wien in Vienna acquired the Austrian rights to the play and felt it would be an ideal vehicle for Johann Strauss to set to music. Carl Haffner had translated the French play into German but the idea of a midnight supper party of the original caused some problems and, furthermore, Steiner was unhappy with Haffner's efforts. The distinguished librettist Richard Genée, also a conductor and composer, was then drafted in to rework the play for Viennese audiences, the location now being set in 'a spa town outside a big city'. He also contributed a great deal to the finished musical score.

The operetta was sketched out in seven weeks but took six months to reach the stage. It has been inaccurately described as an initial failure. The work ran for just sixteen performances after its première on 5 April 1874, but the theatre had been previously booked to accommodate a visiting company, after which the operetta was again reinstated at the Theater an der Wien. The characters include Gabriel von Eisenstein, described as a man of private means, his wife Rosalinde, Frank, a prison governor, Prince Orlofsky, his singing teacher Alfred, Doctor Falke, a notary, Doctor Blind, a lawyer, Adele, Rosalinde's maid, Ida, her sister, and Frosch, a jailer, which is a spoken part. Conductor: Willi Boskovsky Johann Strauss II - Die Fledermaus - Act 1, "Komm mit mir, zum Souper" - YouTube Johann Strauss II - Die Fledermaus - Act 1, "Komm mit mir, zum Souper" Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content.

Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Jun 21, 2011 The origins of what eventually became known as Die Fledermaus first crossed a number of international boundaries. In 1851 a play entitled Das Gefängnis (The Prison) by Roderick Benedix appeared in Berlin. This was a low-brow comedy of errors, brim full of mistaken identities. 21 years later the Frenchmen Louis Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, librettists for both Bizet and Offenbach, produced a spirituel vaudeville in Paris, based on The Prison, which they entitled Le réveillon (Supper on Christmas Eve). Max Steiner, co-director of the Theater an der Wien in Vienna acquired the Austrian rights to the play and felt it would be an ideal vehicle for Johann Strauss to set to music. Carl Haffner had translated the French play into German but the idea of a midnight supper party of the original caused some problems and, furthermore, Steiner was unhappy with Haffner's efforts.

The distinguished librettist Richard Genée, also a conductor and composer, was then drafted in to rework the play for Viennese audiences, the location now being set in 'a spa town outside a big city'. He also contributed a great deal to the finished musical score. The operetta was sketched out in seven weeks but took six months to reach the stage. It has been inaccurately described as an initial failure. The work ran for just sixteen performances after its première on 5 April 1874, but the theatre had been previously booked to accommodate a visiting company, after which the operetta was again reinstated at the Theater an der Wien. The characters include Gabriel von Eisenstein, described as a man of private means, his wife Rosalinde, Frank, a prison governor, Prince Orlofsky, his singing teacher Alfred, Doctor Falke, a notary, Doctor Blind, a lawyer, Adele, Rosalinde's maid, Ida, her sister, and Frosch, a jailer, which is a spoken part.

Conductor: Willi Boskovsky Die Fledermaus - OperaWorld External links Background The original literary source for Die Fledermaus was Das Gefängnis (The Prison), a farce by German playwright Julius Roderich Benedix [1] that premiered in Berlin in 1851. On 10 September 1872 a three-act French vaudeville play by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy , Le Réveillon, loosely based on the Benedix farce, opened at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal . [2] Meilhac and Halévy had provided several successful libretti for Offenbach and Le Réveillon later formed the basis for the 1926 silent film So This Is Paris , directed by Ernst Lubitsch . Meilhac and Halévy's play was soon translated into German by Karl Haffner (1804-1876), at the instigation of Max Steiner , as a non-musical play for production in Vienna.

The French custom of a New Year's Eve réveillon , or supper party, was not considered to provide a suitable setting for the Viennese theatre, so it was decided to substitute a ball for the réveillon. Haffner's translation was then passed to the playwright and composer Richard Genée , [1] who had provided some of the lyrics for Strauss's Der Karneval in Rom the year before, and he completed the libretto. Performance history Die Fledermaus, Düsseldorf, 1954 The operetta premièred on 5 April 1874 at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna and has been part of the regular repertoire ever since: [3] It was performed in New York under Rudolf Bial ( de ) at the Stadt Theatre on 21 November 1874. The German première took place at Munich's Gärtnerplatztheater in 1875. Die Fledermaus was sung in English at London's Alhambra Theatre on 18 December 1876, with its score modified by Hamilton Clarke .

[4] When the operetta came to Paris in 1877 at the Théâtre de la Renaissance , as La Tzigane, with Ismaël and Zulma Bouffar in the cast, it was not a success; [5] only in 1904, with Meilhac and Halevy's original roles names and the words adapted by Paul Ferrier to the music (with Max Dearly and Ève Lavallière in the cast) did it find success in Paris and enter the repertoire there. [6] The first London performance in German did not take place until 1895. [4] According to the archivist of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden , "Twenty years after its production as a lyric opera in Vienna, [composer and conductor Gustav] Mahler raised the artistic status of Strauss's work by producing it at the Hamburg Opera House [...] all the leading opera houses in Europe, notably Vienna and Munich , have brightened their regular repertoire by including it for occasional performance." [4] The role of Eisenstein was originally written for a tenor , but is nowadays frequently sung by a baritone .

The role of Orlofsky is a trouser role , usually performed by a mezzo-soprano , but sometimes by a tenor . [7] Roles Party goers and servants at Prince Orlofsky's (chorus) Synopsis Act 1 Eisenstein's apartment Gabriel von Eisenstein, a Viennese man-about-town, has been sentenced to eight days in prison for insulting an official, partially due to the incompetence of his attorney, Dr. Blind. Adele, Eisenstein's maid, receives a forged letter, purportedly from her sister who is in the company of the ballet, but actually written by Falke, inviting her to Prince Orlofsky's ball. She pretends the letter says that her aunt is very sick, and asks her mistress Rosalinde (Eisenstein's wife) for an evening off ("Da schreibt meine Schwester Ida"/"My sister Ida writes to me"). Falke, Eisenstein's friend, arrives to invite him to the ball (Duet: "Kommt mit mir zum Souper"/"Come with me to the souper").

Together, they recall a practical joke which Eisenstein played on Falke a few years ago, for which Falke is secretly planning a light-hearted revenge in kind. Eisenstein bids farewell to Adele and his wife Rosalinde, pretending he is going to prison (Trio: "O Gott, wie rührt mich dies!"/"Oh dear, oh dear, how sorry I am") but really intending to postpone jail for one day and have fun at the ball. After Eisenstein leaves, Rosalinde is visited by her former lover, the singing teacher Alfred, who serenades her ("Täubchen, das entflattert ist"/"Dove that has escaped"). Frank, the governor of the prison, arrives to take Eisenstein to jail, and finds Alfred instead. In order not to compromise Rosalinde, Alfred agrees to pretend to be Eisenstein and to accompany Frank.

(Finale, drinking song: "Glücklich ist, wer vergisst"/"Happy is he who forgets" followed by Rosalinde’s defence when Frank arrives: "Mit mir so spät im tête-à-tête"/"In tête-à-tête with me so late," and Frank’s invitation: "Mein schönes, großes Vogelhaus"/"My beautiful, large bird-cage.") Act 2 A summer house in the Villa Orlofsky It transpires that Falke, with Prince Orlofsky's permission, is using the ball as a way of getting revenge on Eisenstein. Some time before, after a costume-party, Eisenstein had abandoned Falke, very drunk and dressed in a bat-costume, in the center of town, exposing him to ridicule the next day. As part of his scheme, Falke has invited Frank, Adele, and Rosalinde to come the ball, all concealing their identities as well.

Rosalinde pretends to be a masked Hungarian countess, Eisenstein goes by the name "Marquis Renard," Frank is "Chevalier Chagrin," and Adele, who has borrowed one of Rosalinde's dresses without permission, pretends she is an actress. The ball is in progress (Chorus: "Ein Souper heut' uns winkt"/"A souper is before us") and the Prince welcomes his guests ("Ich lade gern mir Gäste ein"/"I love to invite my friends"). Eisenstein is introduced to Adele, but is confused as to who she really is because of her striking resemblance to his maid. ("Mein Herr Marquis"/"My lord marquis," sometimes referred to as " Adele's Laughing Song "). Frank arrives. He and Eisenstein, who are both posing as Frenchmen, attempt to conceal their identities by repeating common French phrases to each other, to Orlofsky's great amusement. Since neither actually knows French, both are fooled. As the party progresses, they both experience alcohol-induced good-feeling and manly camaraderie for each other. Then Falke introduces the masked Rosalinde to the company.

She convinces everyone that she is Hungarian by singing the "Czardas", a sentimental dancing-song (" Klänge der Heimat "/"Sounds from home"). During an amorous tête-à-tête, Eisenstein tries unsuccessfully to persuade the mystery-woman to unmask. She succeeds in extracting a valuable watch from her husband's pocket, something which she can use in the future as evidence of his impropriety. (Watch duet: "Ach, wie wird mein Auge trübe"/"My eyes will soon be dim"). In a rousing finale, Orlofsky makes a toast to champagne, and the company celebrates (The Champagne song: "Im Feuerstrom der Reben"/"In the fire stream of the grape"; followed by the canon: "Brüderlein, Brüderlein und Schwesterlein"/"Brothers, brothers and sisters" and the waltz finale, "Ha, welch ein Fest, welche Nacht voll Freud'!"/"Ha, what joy, what a night of delight.") Eisenstein and Frank dash off as the clock strikes six in the morning.

(Note: The "Champagne song", which is sung by the entire ensemble, should not be confused with the baritone aria "Fin ch' han dal vino" from Don Giovanni , which is often called the "Champagne aria".) Act 3 In the prison offices of Warden Frank The next morning they all find themselves at the prison where the confusion increases and is compounded by the jailer, Frosch, who has profited by Warden Frank's absence to become gloriously drunk. Alfred, still in jail in Eisenstein's place, irritates the other prisoners by singing operatic arias. Adele arrives to ask the Chevalier Chagrin (actually Frank) to sponsor her career as an actress, but Frank is not wealthy enough to do this ( Melodrama ; Couplet of Adele: "Spiel' ich die Unschuld vom Lande"/"If I play the innocent peasant maid"). Meanwhile, Alfred asks Frosch to summon Dr. Blind to help get him released; Frank agrees to allow this and Dr. Blind arrives. Eisenstein enters and says he has come to serve his sentence.

He is surprised when Frank tells him that his cell is already occupied by a man who claims to be Eisenstein and whom Frank had arrested in Eisenstein's apartment. Frank further tells Eisenstein that the man he arrested was singing amorous songs to Rosalinde at the time of his arrest, and warmly kissed her goodbye. Enraged, Eisenstein takes Dr. Blind's wig and glasses in order to disguise himself and confront the impersonator Alfred, whom Eisenstein now believes has cuckolded him. Rosalinde enters. Eisenstein takes off his disguise and accuses her of being unfaithful to him with Alfred. Eisenstein, Rosalinde, and Alfred sing a trio in which Eisenstein angrily claims the right of vengeance (Trio: "Ja, ich bin's, den ihr betrogen...Ra-ra-ra-ra-Rache will ich!"/"I'm the one who was mistreated....Ve-ve-ve-ve-vengeance is mine"). However, Rosalinde produces his watch, and he realizes that the Hungarian mystery-woman he tried to seduce at Orlofsky's party was actually Rosalinde in disguise and that he, not she, is at fault.

Falke enters with all the guests from the party and explains that the whole thing was payback for Eisenstein's practical joke on him three years before. Eisenstein is delighted by the prank, and he begs Rosalinde to forgive him for his attempted infidelity. Rosalinde refuses at first, and threatens to divorce him, but Eisenstein tells her that his misbehavior was caused by the Champagne. She accepts this explanation and immediately forgives him unconditionally. Orlofsky promises to finance Adele's acting career, and the company joyfully reprises the "Champagne song" from Act 2. Recordings OPERA NEWS - Metropolitan Opera Broadcast: Die Fledermaus Metropolitan Opera Broadcast: Die Fledermaus Radio Broadcast of Saturday, January 11, 1 P.M. Robert Jones's sets for Act I of the Met's new Die Fledermaus, directed by Jeremy Sams Beth Bergman/Metropolitan Opera The 2013–14 Metropolitan Opera broadcast season is sponsored by Toll Brothers, America's luxury home builder®, with generous long-term support from The Annenberg Foundation, The Neubauer Family Foundation, the Vincent A.

Stabile Endowment for Broadcast Media, and through contributions from listeners worldwide. Die Fledermaus Music by Johann Strauss, Jr. Original libretto by Carl Haffner and Richard Genée, based on the vaudeville Le Réveillon, by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy English lyrics by Jeremy Sams Dialogue by Douglas Carter Beane THE CAST (in order of vocal appearance) Principal characters Dr. Blind tenor, MARK SCHOWALTER Dr. Falke baritone, PAULO SZOT Frank bass-bar., PATRICK CARFIZZI Rolf Gruber baritone, EARLE PATRIARCO Natalie soprano, MARIA D'AMATO Max Detweiller bass, TIMOTHY BREESE MILLER Herr Jakob Schmidt ten., JEFFREY MOSHER Faustine soprano, JEAN BRAHAM Set and costume designer: Robert Jones Lighting designer: Jennifer Schriever Donna Racik, Paul Nadler, Dan Saunders, Howard Watkins Assistant stage directors: Eric Einhorn, Jonathon Loy, Sarah Ina Meyers English coach: Erie Mills Production a gift of The Sybil B.

Harrington Endowment Fund; and Howard Solomon, in honor of his wife, Sarah Billinghurst Solomon Music producer: Jay David Saks Producers: Mary Jo Heath, Ellen Keel, William Berger This performance is also being broadcast on Metropolitan Opera Radio on SiriusXM channel 74. THE STORY ACT I. Through the windows of the home of Gabriel von Eisenstein, a tenor voice is heard. Eisenstein's wife, Rosalinde, is the object of the serenade. Her maid, Adele, comes into the salon, reading an invitation from her sister to a party at the home of Prince Orlofsky. When Rosalinde appears, Adele invents a sick aunt and asks for the evening off. Rosalinde says no: her husband is due to start a brief stay in jail for fighting with a policeman, and she doesn't want to be alone. Having recognized the voice of Alfred, who once courted her at a spa in Bohemia, Rosalinde is startled at his entering her home now that she is married. She sends him off, though he insists he will return. Eisenstein arrives with his lawyer, Dr. Blind, whose bungling has earned his client a longer jail sentence.

Blind leaves. Dr. Falke, a friend of Eisenstein's, arrives and, while Rosalinde is out of the room, invites Eisenstein to Orlofsky's party, saying he can begin his jail term the next morning. Falke suggests that Eisenstein bring along his repeater stopwatch, which charms all the ladies. Rosalinde returns, mystified that her husband seems cheerful and has donned formal dress to go to prison. Meanwhile, she tells Adele to take the evening off after all, then bids Eisenstein a sorrowful farewell. No sooner is she alone than Alfred returns, sees the table set for two and opens the wine. Their tête-à-tête is interrupted by the jail warden, Frank. Rosalinde pretends Alfred is her husband, leaving him no choice but to go with the warden. Costume designs by Robert Jones for Ida in the Met's new Die Fledermaus Costume designs by Robert Jones ACT II. At Prince Orlofsky's villa, Adele, meeting her sister Ida, is surprised to learn that Ida did not send the invitation.

Orlofsky enters, bored, hoping to be amused by a prank, "The Bat's Revenge," that Falke is planning. It was Falke who wrote to Adele, and he introduces her as the actress "Mlle. Olga." A "Marquis Renard," who turns out to be Eisenstein, is announced, and Orlofsky explains that he expects his guests to match him drink for drink. His motto is "Chacun à son goût." Eisenstein recognizes Adele in his wife's evening gown, and she in turn challenges his alias. Frank, the prison warden, arrives under the alias "Chevalier Chagrin," thickening Falke's plot. Now Rosalinde, also summoned by Falke, appears, masked, as a Hungarian countess. When she sees her husband flirting with her maid, she nearly drops her disguise. Falke introduces her to "Renard," who lures her with his famous repeater watch. Asking him to take her pulse, she pockets the watch, then — to show she is Hungarian — launches into a czardas.

Falke tells the guests the story of his adventure as "Die Fledermaus" (The Bat): three years ago, when he and the "Marquis" shared a bachelor existence, they went to a costume ball, after which the latter abandoned Falke, still wearing his bat costume, in the middle of a park. He was awakened the next morning by passersby, who laughingly christened him "Dr. Bat." Orlofsky proposes a toast to champagne, the king of wines. As Eisenstein tipsily befriends Frank, Falke urges everyone to address one another with the familiar "du" and share a spirit of affection. Eisenstein tries to unmask the countess, but when the clock strikes six, he must hurry to jail. ACT III. In jail, Alfred persists in singing, to the annoyance of the tipsy jailer, Frosch. Frank arrives, none too steady himself, and is soon asleep over a newspaper. He is awakened by Frosch, who ushers in two unexpected callers, Ida and Adele. Reminding Frank of his earlier attentions, Adele says she would like his help in launching her stage career and proceeds to show off her thespian skills.

When "Marquis Renard" is announced, Frank shows the girls to a waiting room. Eisenstein appears, and the men admit their identities. When Rosalinde is announced, Frank excuses himself, and the real Eisenstein greets his lawyer, Blind, with whom he hastily changes clothes. Blind has been summoned by Alfred, who comes out of the cell to meet him but finds Eisenstein instead, disguised as the lawyer. Rosalinde enters, not recognizing her husband and wondering what sort of explanation to make so as not to compromise herself. Learning of Alfred's supper with his wife the evening before, Eisenstein is outraged. Rosalinde retorts that her husband was out on the town himself. Eisenstein sheds his disguise. When she produces the watch, however, he realizes she was the "Hungarian countess." Checkmated, he looks up to see Falke arriving with other guests from the party, hailing "The Bat's Revenge." Eisenstein now believes his wife's tête-à-tête with Alfred was part of the prank, so he can forgive her, asking her forgiveness as well. Orlofsky declares he will underwrite Adele's career, and everyone repeats the joyous toast to King Champagne.

Robert Jones's sets for Act II of the Met's new Die Fledermaus, directed by Jeremy Sams Beth Bergman/Metropolitan Opera THE BACKGROUND Johann Strauss, Jr. (1825–99), Vienna's "Waltz King," sketched out all of Die Fledermaus in forty-three days. His third operetta and most enduring stage success, it was drawn from Le Réveillon, a French vaudeville based on a German comedy of manners, Das Gefängnis (The Prison, 1851), by Julius Roderich Benedix. The authors of the French version, Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, had served Offenbach many times. Die Fledermaus, a free translation of their comedy, was commissioned by the director of Vienna's Theater an der Wien. The adapters were two Prussians, Carl Haffner and Richard Genée, who had lived in Vienna and absorbed the city's style.

Costume designs by Robert Jones for Rosalinde in the Met's new Die Fledermaus Costume designs by Robert Jones First produced at the Theater an der Wien on April 5, 1874, Die Fledermaus enjoyed fair success but only sixteen performances; Austria was in the throes of a depression. By 1880, however, the work had been played on 170 German stages and had undergone translation and adaptation in many countries. It reached New York on November 21, 1874, and the Metropolitan Opera on February 16, 1905. The Met premiere was a "director's benefit" for the company's general manager, Heinrich Conried. Tickets were priced at double the usual cost, due to the presence in the Act II party scene of all of the top stars on the Met roster. (See "Guests in the House," p.

29.) Die Fledermaus had been absent from the Met repertory for forty-five years when a new production by Garson Kanin was introduced in 1950, sung in an English translation credited to Kanin and lyricist Howard Dietz and conducted by Eugene Ormandy. The operetta received thirty-one Met performances in the first season of the Kanin staging, which also spawned a national tour and a television presentation on Omnibus. The Kanin production remained in service through the 1966–67 season. The Met's next staging of Die Fledermaus arrived in 1986, directed by Otto Schenk, and remained present in periodic revivals through the 2005–06 season. The company's current staging, by Jeremy Sams, had its premiere on December 31, 2013, with Adam Fischer conducting.

Costume designs by Robert Jones for Eisenstein in the Met's new Die Fledermaus Costume designs by Robert Jones WHAT TO READ AND HEAR Richard Traubner's Operetta: A Theatrical History, first published in 1983, remains the best introduction to Johann Strauss and his impact on the world of operetta. It is available in a revised edition in paperback (Routledge) and in a Kindle edition. On CD, the 1971 performance led by Willi Boskovsky (EMI) has first-class energy and authentic Viennese charm, plus a superlative cast headed by Anneliese Rothenberger, Nicolai Gedda and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Herbert von Karajan's 1955 recording (EMI), with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf as Rosalinde, is a singularly elegant, sophisticated performance. Clemens Krauss's 1950 Decca performance with the Vienna Philharmonic remains a classic and has been reissued on several labels. The Philips set conducted by André Previn features Kiri Te Kanawa in glorious form as Rosalinde.

On DVD, Stephen Lawless's Glyndebourne Festival staging, recorded in 2003, has all the proper fizziness, with a lively ensemble led by Vladimir Jurowski (Kultur). A 1980 Fledermaus from Vienna, led by Theodor Guschlbauer and directed by Otto Schenk, is a good option for traditionalists. Die Fledermaus - The Full Wiki The Full Wiki More info on Die Fledermaus Wikis Note: Many of our articles have direct quotes from sources you can cite, within the Wikipedia article! This article doesn't yet, but we're working on it! See more info or our list of citable articles . Related top topics Top rankings for Die Fledermaus 157th Wiener Blut (arranged by Adolf Müller, 1899) Die Fledermaus (The Bat) is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée .

Contents 8 External links Literary sources The original source for Die Fledermaus is a farce by German playwright Julius Roderich Benedix (1811–1873), Das Gefängnis (The Prison). Another source is a French vaudeville play, Le réveillon, by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy . This was first translated by Karl Haffner into a non-musical play to be produced in Vienna. However, the peculiarly French custom of the réveillon (a midnight supper party) caused problems, which were solved by the decision to adapt the play as a libretto for Johann Strauss, with the réveillon replaced by a Viennese ball. At this point Haffner's translation was handed over for adaptation to Richard Genée, who subsequently claimed not only that he had made a fresh translation from scratch but that he had never even met Haffner. Performance history Die Fledermaus being performed in Düsseldorf, 1954. The operetta premièred on 5 April 1874 at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna, and has been part of the regular operetta repertoire ever since.

[1] It was performed in New York under Bial at the Stadt Theatre on 21 November 1874, and then in English in London at the Alhambra Theatre on 18 December 1876, with the score heavily adapted by Hamilton Clarke . [2] Its first London performance in the original German was in 1895. [2] According to the archivist of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden , "Twenty years after its production as a lyric opera in Vienna, Mahler raised the artistic status of Strauss’s work by producing it at the Hamburg Opera House … all the leading opera houses in Europe, notably Vienna and Munich , have brightened their regular repertoire by including it for occasional performance." [2] The role of Eisenstein is written for a tenor, but is in some performances sung, with alterations, by a baritone . Roles Party goers and servants at Prince Orlofsky's (chorus) Synopsis Act 1 Eisenstein's apartment Gabriel von Eisenstein has been sentenced to eight days in prison for insulting an official, partially due to the incompetence of his attorney, Dr. Blind.

Adele, Eisenstein's maid, receives a letter from her sister, who is in the company of the ballet, inviting her to Prince Orlofsky's ball. She pretends the letter says that her aunt is very sick, and asks for a leave of absence ("My sister Ida writes to me"). Falke, Eisenstein's friend, arrives to invite him to the ball (Duet: "Come with me to the souper"). Eisenstein bids farewell to Adele and his wife Rosalinde, pretending he is going to prison (Terzett: "Oh dear, oh dear, how sorry I am") but really intending to postpone jail for one day and have fun at the ball. After Eisenstein leaves, Rosalinde is visited by her lover, the singing teacher Alfred, who serenades her ("Dove that has escaped"). Frank, the governor of the prison, arrives to take Eisenstein to jail, and finds Alfred instead. In order not to compromise Rosalinde, Alfred agrees to pretend to be Eisenstein and to accompany Frank.

(Finale, drinking song: "Happy is he who forgets" followed by Rosalinde’s defence when Frank arrives: "In tête-à-tête with me so late," and Frank’s invitation: "My beautiful, large bird-cage.") Act 2 A summer house in the Villa Orlovsky It turns out that Falke, with Prince Orlofsky's permission, is orchestrating the ball as a way of getting revenge on Eisenstein. The previous winter, Eisenstein had abandoned a drunken Falke dressed as a bat (and thus explaining the opera's title) in the center of town, exposing him to ridicule the next day. As part of his scheme, Falke has invited Frank, Adele, and Rosalinde to the ball as well. Rosalinde pretends to be a Hungarian countess, Eisenstein goes by the name "Marquis Renard," Frank is "Chevalier Chagrin," and Adele pretends she is an actress. The ball is in progress (Chorus: "A souper is before us") and the Prince welcomes his guests ("I love to invite my friends").

Eisenstein is introduced to Adele, but is confused as to who she really is because of her striking resemblance to his maid. ("My lord marquis," sometimes referred to as "Adele's Laughing Song"). Then Falke introduces the disguised Rosalinde to Eisenstein ( Csárdás : "Sounds from home"). During an amorous tête-à-tête, she succeeds in extracting a valuable watch from her husband's pocket, something which she can use in the future as evidence of his impropriety. (Watch duet: "My eyes will soon be dim"). In a rousing finale, the company celebrates (The Drinking song: "In the fire stream of the grape"; followed by the canon: "Brothers, brothers and sisters"; and the ballet and waltz finale, "Ha, what joy, what a night of delight.") Act 3 In the prison offices of Governor Frank The next morning they all find themselves at the prison where the confusion increases and is compounded by the jailer, Frosch, who has profited by the absence of the prison director to become gloriously drunk.

Adele arrives to obtain the assistance of the Chevalier Chagrin ( Melodrama ; Couplet of Adele: "If I play the innocent peasant maid") while Alfred wants nothing more than to get out of jail. Knowing of Eisenstein's trickery, Rosalinde wants to begin an action for divorce, and Frank is still intoxicated. Frosch locks up Adele and her sister Ida, and the height of the tumult arrives when Falke appears with all the guests of the ball and declares the whole thing is an act of vengeance for the "Fledermaus". ( Trio between Rosalinde, Eisenstein, Alfred: "A strange adventure"). Everything is amicably arranged (with Eisenstein blaming the intoxicating effects of champagne for his act of infidelity and Orlofsky volunteering to support Adele's artistic career), but Eisenstein is compelled to serve his full term in jail (Finale, "Oh bat, oh bat, at last let thy victim escape"). Recordings

Question: Prince Orlofsky, the maid Rosalinde, Dr Falke and the jailer Frosch, are all characters in which operetta, first performed in 1874?
Answer: Die Fledermaus